Your monthly ‘how to spend it’ guide for all the cool new gadgets.
ARCADE GAMING MODE ON
The OnePlus Nord 2 x Pac-Man edition is easily one of the coolest limited edition smartphones we’ve checked out over the past few months, a throwback to a time when arcade gaming ruled the roost. The design is quirky — the case glows, and features iconic Pac-Man elements. Look for the neon maze on the back and the dark blue alert slider, which is the same colour as turn-to-blue vulnerable ghosts from Pac-Man. The clever customisations don’t end with the build — the OS gets a retro makeover too, and the pre-loaded Pac-Man 256 game is a riot. Rs 37,999
BIG SCREEN ACTION
The XGIMI Horizon Pro nails two key things that home projectors don’t always do. First, it’s the funky cuboid design in matte black; it’s compact and weighs under 3 kg, making it easy to move around your house or toss in the boot for a drive holiday. And then there’s the projector’s smart elements that make it a compelling proposition. Android TV is baked in, also offering you access to the Google App store. It’s as easy as setting up an Android smartphone. Picture quality is stellar. This 4K projector boasts of a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels with a brightness of 2200 ANSI lumens, and is complemented by dual (built-in) 8W Harman Kardon speakers with DTD-HD & DTS Studio Sound Dolby. Rs 1,87,500
BACK IN BLACK
Nothing’s first product, the ear (1), broke the clutter with a transparent, stripped-down version of TWS earbuds. The Nothing ear (1) Black edition sticks to the same design language with a coat of black. It looks just as edgy with the all-black finish. Nothing has worked for thirdparty certification company SGS to assess and neutralise its carbon footprint. Sound quality is terrific for earbuds at this price point; these buds are kitted with 11.6mm drivers. They’re ultra light, and also handle calls effortlessly, even when you’re outdoors. A choice of three silicone tips ensures you find the right fight. Battery life is a big win too — total of 34 hours, including the case. Rs 6,999
THE CREATIVE EDGE
The ASUS ProArt StudioBook 16 OLED (H5600) is crafted for content creators and consumers with a creative edge. This notebook leverages powerful AMD Ryzen 5000 series (H5600) and fast NVIDIA GeForce up to RTX3070 (H5600) graphics. The headline feature is the gorgeous 16-inch 4K OLED HDR 16:10 display that delivers stunning visuals with a 100 per cent DCI-P3 color gamut. Colours are punchy, and blacks are deep. It’s elegantly designed and is ultra-slim — just 19.6 mm. The StudioBook is crafted with an aluminium alloy for enhanced durability and finished with anti-fingerprint coating. Rs 1,69,990 onwards
UNWIRED FOR SOUND
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 are one of the lightest TWS Bluetooth buds out there, each of these buds weighs just 5 gm. The lightweight form also makes them more comfortable to wear for longer hours. Call quality is impressive, and so is the bass thump. We dig the play of colours — all four colours feature a white case on the outside that is contrasted by the colour of the buds and the inside of the case. ANC (Active noise cancellation) is quite impressive, while the 20-hour battery life is similar to many of its rivals. Rs 11,999
POWERED BY ANDROID
At the heart of the Acer TV P Series (42-inch) is a 64 Bit Quad Core processor with 1.5GB of RAM and 8GB of onboard memory. Switching apps and navigating on this Android TV is quite seamless. Colours are quite vibrant and blacks are fairly deep (1920 x 1080 pixels / HDR 10). Brightness maxes out at 350 nits with a wide colour gamut of 16.7 million colours. There are ‘pre-set’ picture options available, if that’s your thing. These pre-set options are also available for audio. Sound quality is acceptable, the 24W speakers don’t jar even at reasonably high volumes. Rs 23,999
